Author: Will Estes
TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo City Council is taking a closer look at the city’s use of Flock license plate readers as questions continue over how the technology balances public safety with privacy.
Flock cameras collect vehicle information as drivers pass by and can help law enforcement identify vehicles connected to criminal investigations. The technology has become a useful tool for police, but concerns over how the information is collected and accessed have led some council members to call for additional oversight.
Councilman Mac Driscoll said the technology has shown value for law enforcement but questioned whether the system may collect more information than necessary.
“There’s no doubt about it, that it has been helpful and useful in law enforcement,” Driscoll said. “The question is, is it too imprecise a tool?… What else is getting swept up in this process?”
Driscoll has called for the cameras to be paused while the city’s use of the system is reviewed.
Despite those concerns, previous city audits have not found inappropriate use of the system, according to Councilman Adam Martinez.
“Going back the past three years, there were no inappropriate uses found,” Martinez said.
Martinez said oversight of the system has increased since Toledo began using Flock cameras. He said audits that were previously conducted semiannually and then quarterly are now being conducted monthly.
The cameras are not limited to city streets. Flock cameras are also in use on the University of Toledo’s campus, where vehicles pass them as they travel through campus.
Supporters of automated license plate readers point to their ability to assist law enforcement in criminal investigations. The debate in Toledo, however, has increasingly focused on how the information collected by the cameras is used, who can access it and whether the current safeguards provide enough oversight.
As Toledo City Council considers further review of the system, Flock cameras remain in use throughout the area.